BORDER Bullfrogs star player Koos Jacobs and coach Wessel Hattingh will be heading off to Pretoria today to join up with the South African Wheelchair Rugby squad to compete in the IWRF Asia-Oceania Championships starting this weekend.
SA will be hosting the bi-annual event against Japan, New Zealand and Australia and will be looking to make a big impression with qualification for the World Championships in Denmark next year at stake.
Jacobs and Hattingh have both been a part of national training camps throughout the year and the final team of 12 players and seven staff were selected in October.
Jacobs will be an integral part of the SA team after putting in a great effort this year being on top form for the Bullfrogs, who finished the season third on the national wheelchair rugby league log.
“It is a privilege to be selected again,” said Jacobs.
Hattingh, the Bullfrogs coach, has been brought into the SA fold as the technical manager for the first time and will be tasked with making sure all the technical aspects of the tour are up to scratch.
The Asia-Oceania Championship is one of the toughest in the world and the SA team will face extremely stiff competition against current number two ranked wheelchair rugby team in the world Australia, fifth ranked Japan and 10th-ranked New Zealand.
SA are currently ranked at 25th in the world, after they missed the 2011 event due to financial constraints and have not played internationally since 2009.
The tournament takes place in the Rembrant Hall at the L C de Villiers Sports Campus of the University of Pretoria and kicks off on Saturday, when teams will arrive and training and classifications take place until November 19.
The tournament officially starts on November 20 with group games and the finals will be held on Saturday November 23.
“Koos is a never-say-die kind of player. He fights for every point and is one of the senior players in the side, this being his third Asia-Oceania Champs,” said national coach Jaco Dorfling.
Jacobs to face big test in wheelchair series
SA will be hosting the bi-annual event against Japan, New Zealand and Australia and will be looking to make a big impression with qualification for the World Championships in Denmark next year at stake.
Jacobs and Hattingh have both been a part of national training camps throughout the year and the final team of 12 players and seven staff were selected in October.
Jacobs will be an integral part of the SA team after putting in a great effort this year being on top form for the Bullfrogs, who finished the season third on the national wheelchair rugby league log.
“It is a privilege to be selected again,” said Jacobs.
Hattingh, the Bullfrogs coach, has been brought into the SA fold as the technical manager for the first time and will be tasked with making sure all the technical aspects of the tour are up to scratch.
The Asia-Oceania Championship is one of the toughest in the world and the SA team will face extremely stiff competition against current number two ranked wheelchair rugby team in the world Australia, fifth ranked Japan and 10th-ranked New Zealand.
SA are currently ranked at 25th in the world, after they missed the 2011 event due to financial constraints and have not played internationally since 2009.
The tournament takes place in the Rembrant Hall at the L C de Villiers Sports Campus of the University of Pretoria and kicks off on Saturday, when teams will arrive and training and classifications take place until November 19.
The tournament officially starts on November 20 with group games and the finals will be held on Saturday November 23.
“Koos is a never-say-die kind of player. He fights for every point and is one of the senior players in the side, this being his third Asia-Oceania Champs,” said national coach Jaco Dorfling.
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